PhD

If there’s one topic guaranteed to suck all the fun out of a writing workshop, it’s signposting. Signposts include descriptive headings, cross-references, and emphasis of argument. For the writer, these mechanisms feel clunky and dull; for the reader, though, these navigational aids make the text much more digestible — especially when it’s a long document like a thesis or a monograph. Your reader or examiner is probably reading your work alongside a whole heap of other research material. They’ll be dipping in and out over weeks — maybe even months — so need frequent reminders of what you’ve already told them and a roadmap of what’s coming next. With a clear structure and frequent signposts, they’re much less likely to miss something important. ...

It’s hard to get a sense of a big piece of writing, especially when Word keeps crashing. You’re scrolling endlessly, trying to hold thousands of words in your tired brain. You need to step away from the screen. In this blog post, I’ll explain how you can map your book or thesis. This technique helps you impose order on a baggy draft. Even better, it provides an excuse to buy stationery. ...

Even when we start out with a clear plan, it’s easy to end up with rambling draft. We know there’s an argument lurking within, but we’re darned if we can find it. While every writer is different, nearly everyone benefits from the technique of reverse outlining. I think it’s the best way to improve the flow of your argument and produce a coherent manuscript or thesis. There are many different approaches to this technique and there’s no right way of doing it. I’ll share my approach with you, which you can then adapt. ...

When Apple create a new iPhone, they don’t spent years perfecting it. They’re not busily anticipating the needs of all their customers, hoping everyone will love it immediately. Instead, they create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and get it to market as soon as possible. They know there are thousands of people who’ll queue overnight outside the Apple Store and spend a month’s salary on a slightly flawed product. Those early adopters will give them almost immediate feedback on what the developers need to do to bring it up to scratch. Apple make those improvements, then release an updated version. ...

At a recent business networking event, I met no fewer than three people who’d quit their PhD. Although they believed it was the right decision, they still felt a sense of failure or defeat. Estimates vary, but it’s likely that around 40% of PhD students leave. The figures are much higher for part-time students and stratospheric for those pursuing professional doctorates. Because universities are squeamish about sharing the true figures, people who struggle think they’re in a tiny minority. The reasons for quitting will come as no surprise: mental health problems, job insecurity, financial worries, and supervisory conflict are just a few. For valuable insights and discussion on these reasons, hop over to The Thesis Whisperer. ...

In 1861, Charles Darwin wrote in a letter: “But I am very poorly today and very stupid and hate everybody and everything.” Ever had a Darwin Day? Yep, me too. It’s frustrating when we’ve put aside some time for deep work, then our brain refuses to cooperate. There are a few options to consider, though: Do you need a rest? If our bodies and brains go completely floppy, perhaps they’re trying to tell us something. Taking a day off allows us to recover and then attack our thesis with renewed vigour. Obviously, it becomes problematic if we designate every day a Darwin Day. We need to stay in tune with ourselves and learn to recognise whether this is exhaustion or just procrastination. You can only tune in once you’ve slowed down. Could you work through some easier tasks? Although they’re not desperately exciting, these jobs get you closer to the finish line without requiring too much brainpower. This is precisely the stuff you don’t want to be bothered with when you’re in flow, so they’re best saved for low-powered sessions. If you’re lacking in motivation, is there a trigger that would get you back in the mood? Amitoze, a PhD student in AI, told me that he watches videos on machine learning to rekindle his enthusiasm. This gives him some context for his writing and inspires him to get going. Other students teach themselves a new skill, do some exploratory reading, or try writing more creatively. ACTIVITY Create a list of activities for Darwin Days. What could you still achieve, even when everything feels rubbish?Ideas include: ...

Proofreading is perhaps the one activity I dislike even more than housework. This stage is unbelievably tedious, but absolutely crucial. Typos creep in all the time, especially when you’re stressed and frantically editing the text. The only way to approach proofreading is calmly and systematically. And you need to do this right at the end, once you’ve finished writing and tinkering. Otherwise, you’ll have to go back and recheck all those additions and deletions. It’s tempting to outsource the pain by hiring a professional proofreader. ...

Does this sound familiar? The long-awaited email lands in your inbox — it’s the feedback on that piece of writing. Your stomach ends up in your slippers and you feel slightly clammy. You open the document and start reading. Disaster! Your supervisor clearly hates this piece of work. It’s a sea of red comments and they’re all negative. There’s no choice but to start all over again. This is complete rubbish. You spend the next couple of hours fuming and wondering why on earth you ever started a PhD. You complain to anyone who has the misfortune to ask you how it’s going today. ...

If you’ve been rummaging in the archives, you probably have a lot of digital images. They can be quite tricky to manage, especially when you’ve got more than a few dozen. Although tools like Zotero are great for bibliographic data, they’re not really suited to archival material. Fortunately, the Zotero developers have also created Tropy. Launched in 2017, Tropy is a free tool to help you organise and annotate your research photos. It’s rather like a database with a friendly interface. You can import most image formats, including PDFs, simply by dragging them into the application. ...

One of the biggest challenges with academic writing isn’t necessarily the writing itself, it’s actually keeping ourselves in the chair. As soon as we hit a tricky part, there’s an overwhelming urge to wander off and tackle an easier task. We tell ourselves, “This is far too difficult today. I’ll come back tomorrow and it’ll definitely be easier.” Unless we push through those tricky parts, though, it’s impossible to make significant progress. The solution is to either get some velcro pants or to use Focusmate. ...